Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers is very concerned about playing the 2020-21 NBA season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a conference call with reporters on Saturday, the new Sixers coach said he's concerned about the amount of freedom the players will have this season.

“Well, this is a little different (than the bubble) because now we’re at home and we’re with our family and friends. We can order and eat wherever we want to — whichever restaurants that are still serving or open. So there’s a little more freedom. Having said that, that’s my concern. The food’s not my concern — I’m thrilled to death about that — but the freedom is a concern.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
76ers' Joel Embiid and Knicks' Mitchell Robinson in front of the NBA playoffs logo

Sam DiGiovanni ·

76ers' Joel Embiid

Jack Winter ·

76ers' Joel Embiid and Knicks' Jalen Brunson

Sam DiGiovanni ·

“I’m very concerned if we can pull this off. … If we miss three or four players, we’re in trouble, especially with the amount of games. We’re playing three and four games a week, so if one of our guys or two of our key guys get the virus and they miss 10 days to 14 days, that can be eight games. In a 72-game season, that can knock you out of the playoffs. That’s a concern. Our guys’ health is a concern. And that’s tough. As a coach, you want to go in with your team concerns being more (about) basketball, and I think every coach’s concerns right now are probably non-basketball.”

Last season, inside the NBA's bubble at Walt Disney World, where the Sixers played before their first-round playoff exit, there were zero outbreaks of the coronavirus. However, as Rivers said, since players will have much more freedom as opposed to last season inside the bubble, outbreaks are bound to happen. And if they do happen, players will be forced to quarantine for 10 to 14 days. This will be a major disappointment for many teams, especially if it's their star player that tests positive.

This past week, out of the 546 players that tested for COVID-19, only 48 returned positive results (an 8.8 percent positivity rate). Nevertheless, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was able to finish off the 2019-20 season during a global pandemic, so there's no doubt he can do it again this season. However, it will be something on the mind of players and coaches, such as Sixers coach Doc Rivers.